Impact

Texas Ports impact nearly 1.8 million jobs generating $102 billion in personal income.

Ranked No. 2 among the 50 U.S. states in waterborne commerce, Texas Ports handle 616.2 million tons of foreign and domestic cargo and generate $449.6 billion of total economic value for the State of Texas, representing 25% of Texas gross domestic product (GDP).

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Cargo Activity

Texas Ports are a diverse economic engine and impact all sectors from energy and petrochemical to agriculture and retail and tourism. Cargoes that ship through Texas ports include petrochemicals, new and used automobiles, industrial machinery, retail electronics, agricultural products, steel products, and bagged cargoes.

Jobs

Of the 1.8 million jobs impacted by the Texas maritime industry, 128,848 people are directly employed by activity at public and private terminals.

Tax Revenue

A total of $2.2 billion in direct, induced, and indirect state and local tax revenue was generated by maritime activity at the public and private terminal located in Texas. In addition, $5 billion of state and local taxes were generated due to the economic activity related to the movement of cargo via the public maritime terminals.

Gulf Intracoastal Waterway (GIWW) – Texas

Texas Ports are connected to one another and to the rest of the U.S. inland waterway system by the GIWW. The GIWW allows ocean-going shipping to connect with barge traffic. The Texas segment of the GIWW, or GIWW-T, handled more than 70 percent of all GIWW traffic in 2018, which equates to more than 77.7 million short tons. More than two-thirds of the cargo transiting the GIWW-T — 54.6 million short tons — were classified as petroleum or a petroleum product. In 2018, more than 45,000 barges, tankers, and towboats traveled the GIWW-T, which is the equivalent of at least 5.2 million trucks.